Page 67 - Revolution Republique Empire Restauration
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less revelled in his notoriety, and even gave himself than a dagger is apparently due to an error of trans-
the nickname ‘scourge of princes’. He numbered lation: the Italian word for dagger (pistolese) having
popes and members of the Medici and Gonzaga fam- been mistaken to mean ‘pistol’.
ilies amongst his patrons and was a close friend of
Titian, who painted his portrait three times, as well In addition to his painted works, Bergeret was also a
as Tintoretto. key figure in the development of lithography in
France and made several prints after works by
Bergeret’s picture depicts an incident recorded by Poussin and Raphael. His lithograph Mercury (1804),
the seventeenth century art historian Carlo Ridolfi after Raphael’s fresco in the Villa Farnesina, Rome,
of Aretino’s first encounter with the Venetian was one of the earliest examples of the lithograph
painter. Word had reached Tintoretto that Aretino technique. Bergeret also received several commis-
had spoken ill of him, and fuming, the artist invited sions under Napoleon to design medals, and pro-
him to his studio, ostensibly to honour Aretino by duced design for the Sèvres porcelain factory.
painting his portrait. During the sitting Tintoretto Probably his most important Napoleonic commis-
suddenly pulled out a dagger and when a terrified sion was the decoration of the Colonne Vendôme
(and somewhat guilty) Aretino screamed “why?!” the (1806-11), which was conceived as a copy of Trajan’s
painter coldly replied: “Don’t move. I’m just taking Column in Rome. Bergeret’s designs for the col-
your measurements.” According to Ridolfi, Aretino umn’s bas-reliefs recorded the emperor’s Austerlitz
never insulted Tintoretto again and eventually the campaigns (1805-1806)7. Bergeret also pursued an
two men became friends. The fact that in both interest in modern classical history, and frequented
Ingres’ and Bergeret’s versions of the subject, as well the Musée des Monuments Français. He also
as in a later treatment by Alexandre-Evariste designed costumes for historical plays produced by
Fragonard, Tintoretto brandishes a pistol, rather the Opéra Comique in Paris.
t
7. The column was destroyed in 1814, replaced in 1833 and again in 1863, before being finally demolished by the Communards in 1871. It was recon-
structed in 1875.
67
